UA Group Offers Short Fiction Readings in Downtown Tuscaloosa

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama’s student-led organization and nonprofit literary journal NANO Fiction invites the public to its two-part reading series, Five at 5, at 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22 and Sunday, Oct. 20, at 5 Bar in downtown Tuscaloosa.

The event, organized by Nano Fiction founder and UA graduate student Kirby Johnson, is designed to introduce emerging short fiction writers to the Tuscaloosa community. Admission is free.

The Sept. 22 reading will feature: Justin Lawrence Daugherty, author of “Whatever Don’t Drown Will Always Rise” from Passenger Side Books; Stephanie Lynn Devine, assistant editor for New South magazine and doctoral student at Georgia State University; Katy Gunn, UA graduate student; Marsha McSpadden, professor of English composition and creative writing at UA; and Brian Oliu, author of “So You Know It’s Me,” a collection of Tuscaloosa Missed Connections, released by Tiny Hardcore Press.

On Oct. 20, the featured readers will be: Garrett Ashley, student in the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi; Cian Cruise, whose work has appeared in Little Brother and Bygone Bureau; Amy McDaniel, author of “Selected Adult Lessons”; Jared Yates Sexton, assistant professor of creative writing at Georgia Southern University and author of “An End To All Things” from Atticus Books; and Elizabeth Wade, Tuscaloosa native and visiting assistant professor at the University of Mary Washington.

Johnson said the readings will be dynamic and fast paced.

“The short-fiction NANO Fiction publishes is for everyone,” she said. “At only 300 words a pop, these stories are fun and easy to listen to and we hope that everyone who joins us enjoys this easily accessible form of storytelling.”

Founded in 2006, NANO Fiction (Print ISSN 1935-844X; Digital ISSN 2160-939X) is a semi-annual publication with issues appearing in the spring and fall that seeks to cultivate the genre of flash fiction by creating opportunities for emerging fiction writers to achieve national recognition through its website, print publication and educational events.

The English department is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships, Truman Scholarships, and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is experiencing significant growth in both enrollment and academic quality. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.